A vital think tank bound to serve as a veritable platform for the generation of ideas, conception of ennobling ethos for good governance, The Centre for Public Sector Governance (CPSG), was formally launched on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, in Abuja, with an inaugural conference. This landmark event represents a critical step toward institutionalizing good governance practices within Nigeria’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs), government agencies, parastatals, and ministries.
Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Chairman, CPSG Board of Advisory, affirmed that the Centre for Public Sector Governance by the Society for Corporate Governance in Nigeria, SCGN, will support professionalism, accountability, and efficiency in Nigeria’s public sector. He stated that the CPSG was established to meet the identified need to improve public service efficiency, with a unique value proposition rooted in providing tailored support for government-owned services, regulatory agencies, and public institutions in general.
According to Ndukwe, “Efficiency in our public institutions, no doubt, holds the key to a nation’s prosperity and advancement. This is why the incoming President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump, plans a new department of government efficiency to dismantle bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies. Although our Centre is a non-government initiative, it has a few similarities regarding aspirations. CPSG aims to equip targeted institutions with the tools, knowledge, and frameworks necessary to deliver high-performing public service entities, create value and achieve regulatory sanctity across the board.”
Ndukwe who is also the Chairman of MTN Nigeria and former Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) said the Centre is designed to shape governance systems and envision a future where public governance in Nigeria and across the continent is driven by professionalism, accountability, inclusivity, and integrity. He stated that the CPSG plans to foster dialogue, exchange ideas, build partnerships and set benchmarks for promoting sound governance practices within Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are privileged to be joined by seasoned administrators and governance practitioners from various sectors of the economy, whose expertise and dedication to excellence have contributed to significant advancement of governance and public sector reforms. This gathering reflects a shared commitment to effective systems, a task vital to our rapidly evolving political landscape,” he added.
Mr Omachi Raymond Omenka, the Permanent Secretary, Common Service Office, representing the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack, said the launch of the Centre for Public Sector Governance is a significant contribution to the country’s development, and commended the leadership of the Society for Corporate Governance for establishing the Centre.
“The CPSG represents a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of national progress. I commend its mission, which includes creating and presenting innovative solutions to address our public institutions’ unique challenges.”
She urged the stakeholders to prioritise conversations on issues affecting the country’s prosperity. “As a nation, Nigeria stands at the crossroads of its development history because we face both challenges and opportunities. This is a phase for which leadership must be transparent, effective, visionary, and open. Through collaboration between the public and private sector, civil society, and international partners, we could promote an ecosystem that ensures well-rounded growth.”
On his part, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Adetunji Olaopa, in his keynote address, acknowledged that the public sector is still home to Nigeria’s robust human capital and sound minds. He believed the civil servant should serve wholeheartedly without recourse to self-aggrandizement and should be likened to the priest’s service or the Red Cross. The scholar harped on deferred gratification in serving the country, which makes the public servant more transparent and efficient in carrying out the tasks that will move the country forward.
Olaopa observed that, “The critical condition for the emergence of a developmental state is establishing a modern, technology-enabled, efficient and effective public service that can deliver on the promises of the government in power. Such a public service must be fast-moving, professional, intelligent, information-ready, adaptable, performance-focused and capable of creating the policy climate to unlock the potentials of the private sector and install a new paradigm of national productivity.”
The establishment of the CPSG comes at a pivotal time when governance reforms are gaining momentum both within Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa. The Centre is poised to become a cornerstone for fostering accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership within the public sector, aligning with ongoing efforts to reshape and strengthen the country’s governance framework. With an emphasis on capacity building, research, and policy development, the CPSG will serve as a dedicated platform for the development of innovative governance models tailored to the unique challenges faced by Nigeria’s public institutions.
The new Centre aligns with recent advancements in public sector governance, such as the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN)’s Exposure Draft on the Public Sector Governance Code, which calls for enhanced transparency, robust accountability mechanisms, and adherence to ethical standards in public sector management.
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Dr. NDUKWE, Chairman of MTN Nigeria, is also Chairman of The Centre for Public Sector Governance (CPSG)
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